مطالعه نقش موفقیت‌های تیم ملی والیبال در تبیین هویت ملی جوانان عراقی

اميرحسين منظمي; عمرعبدالجبار عبدالرزاق الحديثي; ميثم  رحيمي زاده

Authors

Amir Hossein Monazami Associate Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8020-7698
Omar Abdul-Jabbar Abdul-Razzaq Al-Hadithi MA student, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8494-0311
Meysam Rahimizadeh Assistant Professor, Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6882-5592

Keywords:

National identity, national volleyball team, Iraqi youth, sports media consumption, social identification, national pride, ethnic-religious context

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the role of the successes of the Iraqi national volleyball team in explaining national identity among Iraqi youth, with particular emphasis on sports media consumption, social identification, national pride and cohesion, and the ethnic-religious context. This applied study used a quantitative, descriptive-analytical, correlational design. The study population consisted of Iraqi youth aged 18–35 years, from whom 400 participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire scored on a five-point Likert scale. Face and content validity were assessed by experts, and construct validity was evaluated through the measurement model. Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS, with partial least squares structural equation modeling applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Sports media consumption did not significantly predict national identity (β=0.210, p=0.064), social identification (β=0.463, p=0.109), or national pride and cohesion (β=0.208, p=0.477). Social identification had no significant effect on national identity (β=-0.318, p=0.120) or national pride and cohesion (β=-0.124, p=0.488). The direct effect of national pride and cohesion on national identity was also nonsignificant (β=0.094, p=0.422). In contrast, national pride and cohesion significantly predicted the ethnic-religious context (β=0.698, p<0.001), and the ethnic-religious context had a strong positive effect on national identity (β=0.732, p<0.001). The model explained 71.4% of the variance in national identity (R²=0.714). National identity among Iraqi youth appears to be influenced more strongly by underlying social and cultural contexts, particularly ethnic-religious factors, than by direct sports media exposure or identification with the national volleyball team. Accordingly, using sporting achievements to strengthen national identity requires linking such achievements to inclusive and shared national narratives.

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